5 things recruiters should NEVER say to candidates
A recruiter’s work is never done. The stress of hunting down the best candidates for various job openings, and then dealing with them once they show up at your office can be daunting. What do you say to a candidate who asks if there are any other opportunities? How about when someone tells you that their current employer doesn’t appreciate them but promises not to leave until bonuses come in next year? And what should recruiters avoid saying as much as possible during an interview session so they don’t accidentally blow it by being clumsy or ignorant?”
1. “If you were a vegetable, what type of vegetable would you be?”
Recruiters, please stop asking these inane and off-putting interview questions.
Other variants of this question include: “Who do you think would win in a fight, a bear or shark?” or “Which celebrity would play you if your life was being made into film?” To all recruiters who use such interviews questions like these: STOP. Please just stop doing it! We respect the intent behind getting to know someone on personal levels but this kind of obscure question is nothing short of toe curling. It’s not only off putting for the candidate but also does very little that will ascertain anything valid about their personality/ability to think fast within business context with smart pinpoint techniques we have already developed
2. “We’re looking for a rock star.”
You’re looking for a rock star? Then how unfortunate that you’re recruiting entry level positions, not touring heavy metal bands. In fact, when we come to think of it, Mick Jagger has never applied for finance jobs and Ozzy Osbourne was never headhunted by recruiters at commercial HQs. It’s time to collectively agree on abandoning this phrase along with its variants like “ninja,” “guru,” or “pundit.” Adding personality into recruitment is great but too much can be cringe-inducing
3. “I wanted to reach out to you.”
Reach out has fast become the recruitment phrase de jour, and is a frankly discomfiting synonym for “contact”. Keep your hands to yourself! The problem with this expression is not only that it tends to make skin crawl, but also that it implies that the candidate in some kind of destitute position from which they need to be rescued with recruiter’s outspread arms. Let’s be honest nobody’s hand are going come shooting through their monitor when said by recruiters who probably have loosely at sides when this one uttered. Abandon-it -recruitment already burdened enough jargon without addition this poor recruiting phrase
4. “My client means business so there’s no time to waste.”
Recruiters should never push a candidate to rush the application process. This can be an uneasy experience for both parties, with recruiters most likely failing in their effort to persuade that person into applying at once while also discouraging them from making such decisions on your company and other offers they may have received elsewhere.
If you want top talent, treat candidates like stars: don’t pile pressure or urge people take immediate action during job-changing moments of life change!
5. “Do you have experience with C hashtag?”
Being a recruiter is hard work. You need to know the skillset you’re recruiting for so that candidates feel as though they matter and are valued by your company. For example, if you want someone who knows ASP from ASP.NET, then be sure to mention it in an interview or onboarding process where the candidate will have questions about what will happen with their experience on day one of employment at this company because not knowing those terms can make them look uninformed which turns off potential employees quickly!
Always take time when interviewing new talent before hiring them – do some research into how much knowledge they already possess about any skill-set gaps we might require here at our organization (e.g., does he/she seem knowledgeable enough around
